Dinner at the Hawthorne residence was a grand affair, and Clayton Xavier had stayed as well. It wasn't that he was craving the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, but rather that he loved listening to Old Master Tate hold forth at the dinner table. He never tired of the old man's discourse on the classics or his stories about foreign lands and customs.
"This sweet rice cake is delicious. Jim, when you go back, please thank your mother and grandmother for me."
Old Master Tate couldn't stop praising the sweet rice cake. He ate two pieces and barely touched his rice or the other dishes.
"We have more at home. I'll bring you some tomorrow," Jim Thorne offered generously.
